Grant opportunities are now available from the Lynn Cultural Council

From the LCC: PEOPLE OF LYNN and surrounding areas, I hope you can help me spread this far and wide. We are accepting applicants Starting TODAY, October 1, 2020, to receive grants from the Lynn Cultural Council. These include school field trips, after-school programs, concerts, festivals, lectures, theater, dance, music, and film. LCC projects take place in schools, community centers, libraries, elder care facilities, town halls, parks, and wherever communities come together. Grants will be given next year, if the lockdown is still ongoing, then your project might be done virtually, there will be more instructions soon, but nevertheless, apply for an event as is.

City of Lynn Selected to Participate in the Racial Equity Municipal Action Plan (REMAP) Program

The City of Lynn is one of six Greater Boston communities selected to receive technical assistance to create and begin to implement racial equity action plans through the Racial Equity Municipal Action Plan (REMAP) program. This program is a collaboration between the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), the Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE), and Federal Reserve Bank of Boston (FRBB) to help cities and towns  transparently and effectively address racism and inequity.

MAPC, GARE, and FRBB received 22 applications for this first round of the REMAP program. Applications were evaluated on criteria including a commitment to implementation, ability to measure or quantify improvements, a commitment to regional collaboration, and valuing racial equity. Communities across the state and the country are grappling with the daily impacts of many concerns surrounding municipal hiring, funding priorities, the racial wealth divide, unequal law enforcement, and segregation.

“It is clear that we as a country, state, and city, still have tremendous work to do in order to truly achieve racial equity. My administration is committed to taking concrete steps to provide more equitable services and opportunities to all of our residents,” said Mayor Thomas M. McGee. “It was important to me that Lynn be part of this initiative, and we’re grateful to be one of only six communities in the Greater Boston area who will receive the resources needed to develop a strong racial equity plan. The REMAP program will allow us to engage in a difficult but necessary community conversation that begins to chip away at the existing obstacles caused by systemic racism. I am confident that our core team of city officials in collaboration with MAPC, GARE and FRBB, and the public will be committed to taking a hard look at our policies to ensure they are inclusive for all.”

The first four months of the year-long program will focus on training, reflection, and self- assessment. In the final eight months, each municipality will develop a racial equity municipal action plan and begin to implement elements of the plan. The goal of the program is to help municipalities achieve tangible community-level economic and administration improvements and address institutional and structural policies and practices that contribute to racial inequity.

From Mayor McGee’s office: The Lynn Public Health Department has confirmed that as of today, the number of active, confirmed positive COVID-19 cases is 415 with 19 new cases today. 4,443 Lynn residents have recovered and 118 have died. The total number of confirmed positive COVID-19 cases in Lynn since March 21, 2020, including those who have died and recovered, is 4,976. Please visit the City of Lynn COVID-19 Data Dashboard which is updated daily.

Please visit http://www.ci.lynn.ma.us/covid19/resources.shtml#p7GPc1_2 for more information on how you can get a free COVID-19 test in the City of Lynn until October 31st.

We will continue to provide regular updates on COVID-19 through the City website (www.lynnma.gov), social media, and the Smart 911 emergency notification system (sign up at www.smart911.com).